


Argument the Second: Historical Conflicts

by little_abyss



Series: The Rubble of Empire [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: 5 Acts Meme, Developing Relationship, History, M/M, Political Discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:12:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3771220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_abyss/pseuds/little_abyss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times the Iron Bull and Dorian have a lot to talk about, and one time... they don't.  The second one is about the New Exalted Marches.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Argument the Second: Historical Conflicts

Bull takes a deep pull from his tankard, feeling the wash of the ale in his stomach as Dorian keeps talking.  He’s not drunk, not nearly as drunk as Dorian is anyway, but he recognises that he is enjoying hearing the mage expound on his chosen topic.  Mostly its just the float and lilt of Dorian’s voice, the cadence of it, but it’s rare for humans to expect Bull to be able to hold up his end of even a quasi-intellectual discussion, and he’s rather enjoying it.  Unfortunately, the subject Dorian has worked his way around to is the end of the New Exalted Marches.  “... Which was absolutely despicable behaviour, when you consider the nature of the converts.  And the fact that Rivain and Tevinter haven’t ever acknowledged it.  But I think that Par Vollen’s lack of... The Iron Bull.  Are you  _ listening _ to me?”

“Rivain and Tevinter don’t seem to have much in common to me.  Par Vollen may have lacked me back then; I’m older than you, Dorian, but I sure wasn’t born in the Storm Age.”

Dorian stares at him for a moment, grey eyes blazing.  He ignores Bull’s joke, and says, “They have unacknowledged mass graves in common.  Mass graves full of viddithari converts; women and children mostly.  All converts to the Qun who died due to Par Vollen’s lack of military aid.”  He frowns at Bull and asks, “Am I just shouting into the void here?”

 

The Iron Bull narrows his eye and says, “Par Vollen was in no condition to support any armed movement inside Rivain or Tevinter after the Accords were signed.  Especially Tevinter, since they never signed at Llomeryn.  As I understand it, we had been fought to a virtual stand-still, with barely enough political will to sustain small incursions on Seheron, nothing like the drive to overwhelm the entirety of mainland Thedas.  Anyway, the viddathari in Northern Rivain never contacted Par Vollen for military support…”

“Because they were too busy being slaughtered!”  Dorian cuts across Bull’s statement, eyes flashing, hand chopping at the air.  “The Rivaini killed a thousand converts to the Qun, and the Aritam never lifted a finger in their support!”

 

The Iron Bull is lost for words momentarily, and then asks, so quietly Dorian can barely hear his voice above the general tumult of the tavern, “Are you… supporting the viddathari?”  His surprise is so obvious that Dorian cannot help but be a little confused by it; he never considered that there was any other option than to support the underdogs.  “Of course I am,” he says, frowning at Bull, eyes still puzzled, “Look, you have to admit that you can’t go around converting people to a…” he waves his hand airly, searching for the right words, “a set of ideas, religion, whatever, and then leave them to fend for themselves in what could mildly be described as hostile territory.  People are not just so much rubble of empire, that you can discard them when they are no longer useful.”  Iron Bull is looking at him steadily, his expression strange, unreadable.  He tells Dorian, “They were ordered to withdraw to Qunari territory, given ample time to do so.  They could have made it to Kont-aar, you know.”  He pauses, considering, still looking at Dorian.  “But for what it’s worth…”

“Chief!”  Krem yells, standing in the open doorway, “Got orders to move out!”  Bull looks over his shoulder, raises a hand to Krem to show that he has heard, and gets up.  He looks at Dorian for a moment longer, opens his mouth as if to say something, then shrugs and turns to walk away.


End file.
